The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) today announced an ambitious collaborative R&D programme to develop next generation, sustainable refrigerant technologies as alternatives to HFCs.
• This R&D initiative brings together Government, research institutes, industry and civil society to develop long term technology solutions to mitigate impact of currently used refrigerant gases on the ozone layer and climate.
• With this initiative, India reaffirms its commitment to working with all other nations to safeguard the Earth’s natural ecosystem.
• India has a small carbon footprint at citizen level and its sustainable lifestyle results in low contribution of the country to overall emissions of greenhouse gases and ozone depleting substances, as compared with other developed countries.
• However, there is an urgent need for developing new technologies indigenously as alternatives available today are patented apart from being expensive.
• A research based programme to look for cost effective alternatives to the currently used refrigerant gases is, therefore essential.

August 2016 was the hottest month measured since contemporary records began in 1880, according to a NASA analysis.
• It was not only the hottest August ever, but also it ties July 2016 as the hottest month ever—an extraordinary occurrence.
• In 2015, the hottest October ever took place, and it was followed by the hottest November ever, and then by the hottest December ever—and this sequence continued right up to the present.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) keeps separate records, and its streak of record-breaking months stretches even further back in time: Every month since May 2015 has been the hottest version of that month ever, according to the agency.
• Second, August’s record essentially ensures that 2016 will be the warmest year on record.
• 2016 could wind up being as much as 1 degree Celsius hotter than the pre-industrial temperature average.

August 2016 was the hottest month measured since contemporary records began in 1880, according to a NASA analysis.
• It was not only the hottest August ever, but also it ties July 2016 as the hottest month ever—an extraordinary occurrence.
• In 2015, the hottest October ever took place, and it was followed by the hottest November ever, and then by the hottest December ever—and this sequence continued right up to the present.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) keeps separate records, and its streak of record-breaking months stretches even further back in time: Every month since May 2015 has been the hottest version of that month ever, according to the agency.
• Second, August’s record essentially ensures that 2016 will be the warmest year on record.
• 2016 could wind up being as much as 1 degree Celsius hotter than the pre-industrial temperature average.
• This is a stark accomplishment when you consider that the nations of the world committed last year to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
• We are two-thirds of the way there already.